


a clash of rapiers

by lockwoodstie (PilotInTheStars)



Category: Lockwood & Co. - Jonathan Stroud
Genre: Backstory, F/M, Fencing, Idk how sexual tension works, Interpret however you wanttttt, Open Ending, Sexual Tension, rapiers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23971717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilotInTheStars/pseuds/lockwoodstie
Summary: Lucy and Lockwood have rapier practice.
Relationships: Lucy Carlyle/Anthony Lockwood
Comments: 9
Kudos: 50





	a clash of rapiers

**Author's Note:**

> The summary is just like it sounds. 
> 
> A thank you to @sharknana29 for their wonderful insight and beta-ing and support!!!
> 
> Also thank you to Jonathan Stroud for giving us swords in Lockwood & Co.

It wasn’t uncommon for us to spend our mornings and early afternoons, at least once a week, down in the basement, practicing with Floating Joe and our new Esmerelda. It kept our skills and minds sharp for cases, and was a way to pass the time before we needed to get ready for one. 

At breakfast, Lockwood had suggested we do that this afternoon, keeping in shape and ready for anything in the slight decrease of cases we had received due to the upcoming summer.

Lockwood was downstairs already when I went. I vaguely remembered a comment from George that he was going to the Archives for the afternoon, and it was Holly’s day off.

It would have just been Lockwood and I- the two of us. Alone.

He was down there already, sorting through what we had.

“Hey, Luce.” He gave me a smile and somehow after all this time it still made my heart flutter in all sorts of funny little ways. It lit up the room.

“I see that no one else was able to join us?” he continued.

Lockwood didn’t look too disappointed, and besides, the whole company had done a decent amount of practicing altogether last week. It wasn’t too big of a deal that no one else had shown. He walked over to the rapier rack and picked two up before walking over to me and passing me one. Our hands brushed.

Having done this before, what we did next seemed pretty natural. We moved to opposite sides of the room. Our eyes met and I looked him up and down, the dark trousers he wore to his button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

Suddenly rapier practice seemed much less interesting. I’d rather walk over there and have my own way. But we both got into the correct stance.

I shook the thoughts from my head and adjusted the sword in my hand.

“Your stance, Luce.”

My stance was fine, and he knew that. That didn’t stop the flush quickly rising to my cheeks.

It was almost like a dance, the back and forth. Once, the steps were kind of tricky to follow, but now I understood them. There was a rhythm to it all, with the lunging and parrying. Both of us had gotten better at it together, as we had practiced and lived together. Unfortunately my partner was slightly more experienced in the dance, and most times his sword met my shoulder or somewhere else, ending the round. 

I’ll admit, it was all forgiven the second his lips met mine. Our swords rested in our hands, limp. I let go for a moment and I walked back over the edge of the mat. I saw that Lockwood followed. I raised a brow, but got into the correct stance. “Aren’t we doing one more round?”

“I just think your stance could use some improvement.”

“Does it now? Fix it then.”

Lockwood walked over, his hands on my waist. “You need to sink lower into it.” I did so. 

“Better?” I asked, smiling up at him. 

“Better.” His returned smile made my heart flutter again.

“Sometimes,” I admitted. “I wonder if it would be easier just practicing with Floating Joe.”

“Well, I think it’s much more fun with an actual person,” Lockwood said. He flourished the rapier in his hand. “Again?”

I adjusted the rapier in mine. “Alright.” I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. His ears went slightly red. “Again.”

“Your stance, Lockwood,” I teased as he walked to the other side of the room. 

“Well, I’m just not quite ready yet.” 

We began again, rapiers clashing dully in the room. Back and forth, lunging and parrying. He tapped my shoulder with his rapier as I took a step too close. “Point for me again.”

I huffed, sweaty and partially out of breath, and frustrated as well, but he walked over and kissed me and we both pulled each other closer at the same time. I stood on my tiptoes, arms thrown around his neck.

An uncertain amount of time later, we let go and found ourselves sitting on the edge of the mat.

I leaned over and kissed his cheek, resting my head on his shoulder. “I love you,” I said softly.

“I love you too.”

We sat there for a moment, breathing. I looked up through my lashes at him. His eyes caught mine.

I took a breath. “Sykes taught you to fence?”

Lockwood nodded. “Almost immediately. Important skill.”

_It was less fencing and more ‘waving a sword around’ for me,_ I thought. I thought of small Lockwood, like the boy I had seen in photographs, holding a too-big rapier. 

His arms were resting on his knees, and I pressed my cheek against his forearm. I felt him kiss the top of my head. His fingers slipped between mine and he held my hand tightly.

I got onto my knees and leaned closer to kiss him more, somehow finding myself in his lap. One arm braced himself to keep sitting up, his other arm went around my waist. I inched closer- somehow it was still possible -and in the moment we both lost our balance and toppled over.

He kissed the tip of my nose and my smile could have been just about as bright as his, lighting up the whole room. He then pressed little kisses all the way up to my ear, kissing right beneath it and I sighed, content. 

The sound that next came out of my mouth would be what some might call “embarrassing,” a shrill shriek of shock as he wrapped his arms around my waist and flipped us.

He leaned down and kissed me again, every part of ourselves pressed up close. His hands were in my hair, my arms were around his neck. I leaned up to kiss him more deeply. 

I let go for a second, partly to catch a breath. “Should we practice more?”

“You know, I’m quite done for today.”

“Good, I am too.” 

Lockwood went back to kissing me and I was perfectly fine with that. His lips were everywhere and I couldn’t exactly keep track, and a laugh helplessly fell from my mouth. In a dash, I caught his lips with my own and I felt them turn up into a smile.

I scooched up a little bit to sit up and Lockwood followed, his arms drawing me closer to him. His hands untucked my shirt and slid up my back, and mine quickly found the buttons of his shirt. 

Fencing practice did go extraordinarily well.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed. 
> 
> Stay safe out there!! I hope you are doing alright during these times. I'm here for you. <3


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